When the Dolphins line up against the Patriots on Sunday, the spread of opinion feels just as lopsided as the matchup itself. New England came into 2025 with the sheen of a team that had steamrolled a soft schedule all the way to the Super Bowl, while Miami has spent the season living in the underdog lane. But the gap between perception and reality has narrowed a lot this year, and that opens a small door for the Dolphins.
Miami’s path to a shocker is narrow, but it does exist. The Patriots have the pricier roster and the more seasoned group on paper, yet this is still the NFL, where one clean game plan can flip the script. If the Dolphins are going to steal one, they’ll need to make it ugly for New England in three very specific ways.
First, force Drake “ The Schedule” Maye to carry the load. Maye entered the season with plenty of early hype, but the turnovers have piled up fast.
He’s tied for the league lead with eight interceptions, and he’s also tied for the league lead in total turnovers. If the Patriots can lean on the run and chew up the clock on what’s expected to be a rainy, muggy day in South Florida, Miami is in trouble.
The answer is to make New England one-dimensional and dare Maye to beat pressure. He has struggled when teams come after him, and the numbers against man coverage are not flattering: a 57.6-percent catchable-ball rate, which ranks 29th, and a 95.5 passer rating against man, good for 19th.
The Dolphins may give up a play or two, but playing it safe is not the way to get this done.
Second, Miami may need its best day of the season through the air. New England’s run defense has been stingy, allowing just 3.9 yards per carry, so getting Ollie Gordon II involved matters.
Still, there’s a decent chance the burden shifts to Malik Willis. The Patriots have allowed opposing quarterbacks to post a 94.2 passer rating, which ranks 19th, and they blitz at the fourth-highest rate in the league, which can create openings behind the first wave.
That’s where Willis has to hit on the kind of deep shots Miami is hunting.
Third, the Dolphins need to keep the ball and string together long, stubborn drives. Last week, at least in the first half, they did a nice job of staying on schedule against the Jets, converting key third and fourth downs and keeping the offense on the sideline.
That mattered because it kept Miami’s vulnerable secondary - potentially without starting cornerback JuJu Brents - off the field. The Dolphins are also coming off a week in which their drive efficiency stood out, with the offense helping produce a figure that ranked third-best in the NFL.
They’ll need that same patience and discipline again if they want to hang around long enough to make the Patriots sweat.
In Other News...
Ollie Gordon II Is Giving The Dolphins A New Backfield Debate
When De'Von Achane went down with a torn ACL in Week 3, the Dolphins suddenly had to rethink the shape of their ground game. Since then, second-year back Ollie Gordon II has stepped into the lead role and given Miami more than just survival production, helping keep the rushing attack moving at a level the team could hardly have expected after losing its star runner.
Gordon has rushed for 291 yards on 52 carries over his last three games, averaging 5.6 yards per attempt, and the bigger picture has been just as encouraging for Miami. Since Week 4, the Dolphins have ranked No. 1 in rushing EPA per play with Gordon as the lead back, which leaves the team with a real backfield debate once Achane is healthy enough to return. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Edge Rush Question Just Got Even More Telling
The Dolphins made another small but revealing move along the edge, claiming defensive end Jamree Kromah off waivers and opening a roster spot by parting with Robert Beal Jr. Kromah has already bounced through stops with the Bears and Patriots, and now gets a chance to see if he can carve out a place in Miamis front after the team decided to make room for him.
Beals exit adds another layer to a position group that has been under the microscope all season. He came to Miami this offseason after spending time with the 49ers, but the Dolphins moved on as they continue sorting through their edge-rush depth and trying to find the right combination on the outside. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins May Be Much More Protective Of Key Veterans Than Expected
Around the league, the trade market is starting to heat up as teams like the Colts, Titans and Chargers make moves or prepare to do so before the Nov. 10 deadline. Miami, even with its disappointing record, does not appear eager to join the sell-off. The Dolphins have taken a more guarded approach than some expected, treating a few established players as part of the solution rather than pieces to be flipped for future assets.
That stance says a lot about how Miami views the next stage of its roster build. Instead of stripping the locker room down and starting over, the Dolphins seem intent on keeping certain veterans in place while they sort out the bigger picture. There is still deadline pressure in the air, of course, and the possibility of movement remains, but the front offices early posture suggests it will be selective rather than aggressive as the clock winds down. [Read more 🡒]